Sue Benedict: Last News

Annika Pham In its second collaboration with the Marché du Film’s Goes to Cannes showcase strand, Australia’s Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival will unveil four projects and a finished film, all looking for global sales, distribution, top-up financing and festival selection. The five projects to be pitched May 18, will vie for the first €10,000 ($10,700) Goes to Cannes Award.“We set out to curate a selection that embraces a rich tapestry of stories and identities, while also giving prominence to Australian talent,” says festival director Lisa Rose about her program, which “showcases narratives spanning the spectrum of gay, lesbian, pansexual, bisexual, and transgender experience.” For instance, “From All Sides” fearlessly tackles queer sexuality, “a rarity in cinema originating from Western Sydney, says Rose, who also cites “Strange Creatures” and its story about two brothers, one of whom identifies as pansexual, as “a perspective rarely centered in film.”As fresh in its take, the third Australian pic, “Heart of the Man,” “delves into the intersection of First Nations and queer identities, a theme seldom explored in Australian narrative cinema,” says the festival honcho.In a fine example of a queer perspective from another part of the world, the ambitious Indian-U.K./French co-production “Arms of a Man” (“Sabar Bonda”) tells of a city-dweller who falls for a young farmer while grieving his father in rural India.

From Janelle Monáe to Maneskin, here’s our round-up of outstanding LGBTQIA+ talent hitting the stage at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival this year.

Hosted by Anna MartinProduced by Julia Botero, Christina Djossa, Reva Goldberg, Emily Lang and Davis LandEdited by Jen Poyant, Davis Land and Reva GoldbergEngineered by Daniel RamirezOriginal music by Dan Powell Listen and follow Modern LoveApple Podcasts | Spotify| Amazon Music “I said [to my abuela], ‘I’m gay.’ And she turned to me and she was like, You know, mijo, Rachel Maddow’s a handsome woman.” John Paul Brammer writes the “¡Hola Papi!” advice column for The Cut at New York magazine, answering questions like, “Why am I dreaming about sex with a man when I’m a lesbian?” Or, “What if my partner judges me for writing smut?” This candor has given John Paul an intimate connection with his readers. However, as today’s episode reveals, he doesn’t think we necessarily need that level of openness with all of our loved ones. Ahead of Mother’s Day, Brammer reads an essay about a recent college graduate who sets out to spend the summer exploring his sexuality, but whose plans are derailed by his duty to his grandmother.

Austin Victoria has released a statement on his feud with Selling the OC co-star Sean Palmieri.

The amount of hate-based crimes and hate-related incidents reported to Ireland’s An Garda Síochána increased by 12% in 2023 compared to 2022 according to official figures released today, May 8. Garda shared that 548 hate crimes and 103 hate-related incidents were reported last year.